---
title: 15 Words You Need to Eliminate From Your Vocabulary
description: Start with "things" and "stuff"
canonical: https://time.com/3851004/bad-vocabulary-eliminate/
author: The Muse
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article:published_time: 2015-05-08T14:50:08.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:04:05.709Z
article:section: Business
og:title: 15 Words You Need to Eliminate From Your Vocabulary
og:description: Start with "things" and "stuff"
og:url: https://time.com/3851004/bad-vocabulary-eliminate/
og:site_name: TIME
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twitter:title: 15 Words You Need to Eliminate From Your Vocabulary
twitter:description: Start with "things" and "stuff"
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---
# 15 Words You Need to Eliminate From Your Vocabulary
## Video: Watch The Best Quotes By Donald Trump
[Watch (HLS stream): Watch The Best Quotes By Donald Trump](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7MzTpVq2.m3u8) (1:21)
_Published 2015-07-23. Donald Trump's Most Ridiculous Quotes_
by
[Jennie Haskamp / The Muse](/author/the-muse/)
## Jennie Haskamp / The Muse
May 8, 2015 2:50 PM CUT
Delete key on computer keyboard.
Delete key on computer keyboard.Getty Images
by
[Jennie Haskamp / The Muse](/author/the-muse/)
## Jennie Haskamp / The Muse
May 8, 2015 2:50 PM CUT
Newsprint is on life support, emojis are multiplying faster than hungry Gremlins, and 300 million people worldwide strive to make their point in 140 or fewer characters.
People don’t have the time or the attention span to read any more words than necessary. You want your readers to hear you out, understand your message, and perhaps be entertained, right? Here’s a list of words to eliminate to help you write more succinctly.
**1\. That**
It’s superfluous most of the time. Open any document you’ve got drafted on your desktop, and find a sentence with _that_ in it. Read it out loud. Now read it again without _that_. If the sentence works without it, delete it. Also? Don’t use _that_ when you refer to people. “I have several friends that live in the neighborhood.” No. No, you don’t. You have friends _who_. Not friends _that_.
**2\. Went**
I _went_ to school. Or the store, or to church, or to a conference, to Vegas, wherever it is you’re inclined to go. Instead of _went_, consider drove, skated, walked, ran, flew. There are any number of ways to move from here to there. Pick one. Don’t be lazy and miss the chance to add to your story.
**3\. Honestly**
People use _honestly_ to add emphasis. The problem is, the minute you tell your reader this particular statement is honest, you’ve implied the rest of your words were not. #Awkward
**4\. Absolutely**
Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. Something is either necessary, or it isn’t. _Absolutely_ necessary doesn’t make it more necessary. If you recommend an essential course to your new employees, it’s essential. Coincidentally, the definition of essential is absolutely necessary. Chicken or egg, eh?
**5\. Very**
Accurate adjectives don’t need qualifiers. If you need to qualify it? Replace it.
_Very_ is intended to magnify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. What it does is makes your statement less specific. If you’re very happy? Be ecstatic. If you’re _very_ sad, perhaps you’re melancholy or depressed. Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazy way of making your point. Another pitfall of using very as a modifier? It’s subjective. _Very_ cold and _very_ tall mean different things to different people. Be specific. She’s 6’3″ and it’s 13 degrees below freezing? These make your story better while also ensuring the reader understands the point you’re making.
**6\. Really**
Unless you’re a Valley Girl, visiting from 1985, there’s no need to use _really_ to modify an adjective. Or a verb. Or an adverb. Pick a different word to make your point. And never repeat _really_, or _very_ for that matter. That’s really, really bad writing.
If you _are_ visiting from 1985? Please bring the birth certificate for my Cabbage Patch Doll on your next visit. Thanks.
### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now
Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images
Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage
Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images
Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF
Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images
**7\. Amazing**
The word means “causing great surprise or sudden wonder.” It’s synonymous with wonderful, incredible, startling, marvelous, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, miraculous, surprising, mind-blowing, and staggering. You get the point, right? It’s everywhere. It’s in corporate slogans. It dominated the Academy Awards acceptance speeches. It’s all over social media. It’s discussed in pre-game shows and post-game shows.
Newsflash: If everything is _amazing_, nothing is.
**8\. Always**
Absolutes lock the writer into a position, sound conceited and close-minded, and often open the door to criticism regarding inaccuracies. _Always_ is rarely true. Unless you’re giving written commands or instruction, find another word.
**9\. Never**
See: Always.
**10\. Literally**
_Literally_ means literal. Actually happening as stated. Without exaggeration. More often than not, when the term is used, the writer means _figuratively._ Whatever is happening is being described metaphorically. No one actually “waits on pins and needles.” How uncomfortable would that be?
**11\. Just**
It’s a filler word and it makes your sentence weaker, not stronger. Unless you’re using it as a synonym for equitable, fair, even-handed, or impartial, don’t use it at all.
**12\. Maybe**
This makes you sound uninformed, unsure of the facts you’re presenting. Regardless of the topic, do the legwork, be sure, write an informed piece. The only thing you communicate when you include these words is uncertainty.
**13\. Stuff**
This word is casual, generic even. It serves as a placeholder for something better. If the details of the _stuff_ aren’t important enough to be included in the piece? Don’t reference it at all. If you tell your reader to take your course because they’ll learn a lot of _stuff_? They’re likely to tell you to stuff it.
**14\. Things**
See: Stuff.
**15\. Irregardless**
This doesn’t mean what you think it means, Jefe. It means regardless. It is _literally_ (see what I did there?) defined as: regardless. Don’t use it. Save yourself the embarrassment.
Whether you’re ghostwriting for your CEO, updating a blog, selling a product, or finishing your master’s thesis, you need to keep your reader engaged. These 15 words are a great place to start trimming the fat from your prose. Bonus? You’ll sound smarter.
_This post is in partnership with_ [_The Muse_](http://www.themuse.com/ "undefined")_. The_ [_article_](https://www.themuse.com/advice/15-words-you-need-to-eliminate-from-your-vocabulary-to-sound-smarter "undefined") _above was originally published on The Muse_
_More from The Muse:_
* [The Best and Worst Fonts to Use on Your Resume—and 11 Other Things to Know Now](https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-best-and-worst-fonts-to-use-on-your-resumeand-11-other-things-to-know-now "undefined")
* [3 Editing Secrets That Will Make Your Cover Letter Even Better](https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-editing-secrets-that-will-make-your-cover-letter-even-better "undefined")
* [To Change Your Life, Stop Saying “But”](https://www.themuse.com/advice/to-change-your-life-stop-saying-but "undefined")
### 15 Best Books Under 100 Pages
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton, 77 pages. The title character of Wharton’s novella gets caught in a love triangle between his wife and her cousin. The resolution, as any high school English student can tell you, is tragic. Charles Scribner's Sons
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass By Frederick Douglass, 96 pages. Considered the foremost autobiography of a former slave, Douglass’s Narrative was a major credit to the abolitionist cause. It’s also one of the strongest testaments to the power of reading. Dover Publications, Inc.
The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka, 44 pages. In the original case of waking up on the wrong side of the bed, salesman Gregor Samsa finds himself transformed one morning into a giant vermin. Kurt Wolff Verlag, Leipzig
The Old Man and the Sea By Ernest Hemingway, 96 pages. Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novella follows fisherman Santiago as he battles alone against an enormous marlin. Charles Scribner's Sons
The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, 48 pages. The Communist League commissioned Marx and Engels to write this political pamphlet that revolutionized the way the world thought about class and capital. International Publishers
Anthem Ayn Rand, 80 pages. On the opposite end of the political spectrum, Rand’s dystopian novella about a man who would not conform to his society’s regulations celebrated fierce individualism. Cassell
Heart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad, 72 pages. Protagonist Marlow, working for an ivory-trading company, travels up the Congo River in search of renegade Kurtz in this story that probes the truth about civilization. Norton Critical Edition
Symposium By Plato, 80 pages. Partygoers take turns giving speeches on the nature of love in this philosophical work that originated the concept of the Platonic relationship. Oxford
The Awakening By Kate Chopin, 96 pages. Edna Pontellier realizes her life as a wife and mother has left her grossly unfulfilled and attempts for the first time to liberate herself in this early feminist novel. H.S. Stone & Co.
The Prince By Niccolò Machiavelli, 80 pages. The political treatise that drove home the point that the ends justify the means—giving us the handy term “Machiavellian.” Antonio Blado d'Asola.
The Art of War By Sun Tzu, 68 pages. The cunning yet ruthless ancient Chinese military handbook has proved instructive for centuries—Tony even made use of it in The Sopranos. Nabla
The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 70 pages. A woman goes slowly insane after being confined to a creepy attic room by her husband. The New England Magazine
The Little Prince By Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 96 pages. A boy from a mysterious planet teaches a pilot stranded in the desert about love, imagination and the tragedy of adulthood. Reynal & Hitchcock
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man By James Weldon Johnson, 92 pages. The narrator of this 1912 novel is a black man with fair skin who decides to “pass” as white after witnessing a brutal lynching. He accordingly gives up his dream of creating a new African American musical genre, and looks back years later feeling that he made the wrong decision, “that I have sold my birthright for a mess of pottage.” Sherman, French, & Co.
The Turn of the Screw By Henry James, 96 pages. Two children and their new governess are at the center of this chilling ghost story. The Macmillan Company
_Read next:_ [_What Do the Words You Use Say About You?_](http://time.com/3380533/what-do-the-words-you-use-say-about-you/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined")
[_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined")
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